


In the Age of Stiles

by Olsies



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Kid Fic, M/M, Magic, Magical Stiles Stilinski, Possessive Behavior, Possessive Derek, Possessive Scott, Possessive Stiles Stilinski, deaged!Stiles
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-02
Updated: 2015-01-02
Packaged: 2018-03-04 21:06:07
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,676
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3089738
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Olsies/pseuds/Olsies
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Stiles accidentally deages himself. Hilarity ensues.</p><p>***</p><p>Derek took Stiles up stairs for a bath, where Stiles proceeded to splash water everywhere.</p><p>“Stiles!  Stop that!”</p><p>“<em>Stiles!  Stop that</em>,” Stiles mocked, splashing more water at Derek.</p><p>“I mean it!”</p><p>“You’re not the alpha anymore, Scott is!” Stiles shouted. Derek sighed.</p>
            </blockquote>





	In the Age of Stiles

Stiles only had a few minutes before everyone was coming over, but still he wanted to at least _finish_ the spell. Everyone had something powerful about them, and Stiles just felt like Team Human when he wanted to at least feel like Team Willow. Not that Xander wasn’t very attractive or anything, and Stiles was way more like him than he cared to admit, but... When he found the old book of spells in the ruins of the old Hale house, he felt bad not telling Derek about it, but he didn’t want any of the wolves feeling like he wanted the Bite, because he didn’t. He just wanted to be more… Something. So, Stiles hid it in his room and tried some of the potions and spells when he was alone. So far, he’d been able to move some small objects, make them change colors. Once he made Scott’s homework disappear. That had been the worst thing that happened so far, but considering Scott regularly forgot his homework, he figured it wasn’t _really_ that bad.

Sitting on his bed in the big house, Stiles checked once again that the stones were in place, the candles lit. He muttered the words to himself, then louder. There was no loud bang, but he knew something was wrong when the world started changing and churning. He thought he might be sick.

***

Derek opened the front door and the pack piled in the front room. It was movie night, and they were all excited for the upcoming summer holidays. There weren’t that many weeks left of semester, and they were ready for the break. The pack renting one house was the best idea that Derek ever had. Yeah, there were times when they had issues, but it mostly just made them a closer unit. Plus, it made them feel like real grown ups living away from home at college, and they weren’t bound by those silly dorm rules that always tripped them up.

“I’m not waiting for Stiles,” Scott said plopping on the couch with a pizza. Lydia picked up the remote, making a face.

“If we don’t, he will be pissy all night. Go get him, Derek,” she said. Derek sighed and went up the stairs to his and Stiles’s shared room, and wrinkled his nose at the smell of vomit. He heard a small sob coming from under the bed. Entering the room, Derek saw the stones, recently lit but now out candles, and small pool of vomit and whatever was going on was bad. Derek scrunched his eyes and squatted.

“Stiles?” Derek asked. There was a small gasp. “Stiles, why are you under the bed?”

“Go away!” A voice squeaked. Derek kicked the rug, candles, and stones aside so he could flop onto his stomach.

“Why does your voice sound so high?” Derek asked.

“I-I-” Another sob. Derek looked under the bed, confused. Stiles was much smaller than he should be. Derek reached under the bed and his hand touched a very small limb. Derek jerked his hand back.

“Stiles, I want you to come out, please,” Derek said, his voice going deeper. Stiles continued to cry. Derek put his hand back under the bed and tugged on the limb. He pulled out a small boy wearing one of Stiles’s shirts. “Stiles, what did you do?” Stiles flopped into Derek’s lap, crying harder. There was a knock on the door.

“What’s taking-who is the kid?” Isaac asked.

“I think it’s Stiles,” Derek said. Isaac laughed a little.

“No really…”

“Do I look like I’m joking?” Derek asked. A few minutes later, after much screaming from Stiles and a few harsh words from Derek, they sat on the couch, Stiles curled up in Derek’s lap, sucking his thumb.

“So, how did this happen?” Lydia asked. Stiles shrugged, fiddling with a button on Derek’s shirt, not making eye contact.

“You’re a bad liar, Stiles,” Scott said. Stiles shrugged again.

“I’m hungry. Can I have ice cream?”

“Ice cream is for big boys who tell the truth,” Allison said. Stiles glared at her and then buried his face in Derek’s chest for a minute.

“I wasn’t asking _you_!” He shouted at her.

“I have an idea,” Scott said. He pulled out his phone and dialed. It rang and then someone picked up. “Hey, Sheriff. So, I’m going to start this by saying Stiles is fine… he’s just… five. And he won’t tell us what happened and-” Pause. “No, really, he’s five. He’s a little boy. Of course you can talk to him…” Scott handed Stiles the phone.

“Hi, Daddy,” Stiles said.

“Stiles? What--are you at home?”

“Yeah,” he said. “Are you coming over?”

“Yes,” the Sheriff said. “Put Scott back on.”

“Ok, but, daddy, I want ice cream… Will you bring me ice cream?” Stiles asked.

“We’ll see,” the Sheriff said. Stiles handed the phone over.

“Make sure to tell him to bring the ice cream,” Stiles said to Scott. Scott nodded and took the phone.

“Yeah, we have no idea. We were hoping you’d be able to kind of, I don’t know, do your parent mind-Jedi-ness on him like you did when he was a kid…” Pause. “You don’t have to laugh at me…” They hung up and everyone just sort of stood around, not sure what to do. Erica answered the door when the Sheriff knocked. The Sheriff came in and looked down at his son, speechless.

“You know, when he told me werewolves existed, I thought that was the weirdest thing… Then he mentioned a banshee, and kitsune, but what even is this?” The Sheriff asked.

“We don’t know,” Derek said. “Probably some sort of witch craft. I think my mom might have been able to fix it…”

“What about that-what about Deaton?” Sheriff asked.

“He’s on vacation for a week. He left yesterday. Phone’s off,” Scott said.

“Stiles,” the Sheriff said squatting in front of his son. “How did you do this?” Stiles shook his head. “You know, and the sooner you tell us, the sooner we can get you back to normal.” Stiles kicked his feet, ignoring his father. “Yeah, I got nothing,” the Sheriff said standing up.

“What, that was it?” Allison asked.

The Sheriff shrugged. “I couldn’t get him to tell me the truth when he was a little boy…” He said. “That was always Claudia…”

“I’m hungry,” Stiles said. “I want ice cream.”

“No, Stiles,” Allison said. “Ice cream is for big boys.” Stiles hissed at her a little.

“I’m not talking to _you_ , Alli-son!” Stiles snapped.

“Stiles,” Derek chided. “Ice cream is for after dinner. You can have some pizza…”

“Cheese, please!” Stiles said perking up. Scott got him a piece. Stiles took several large bites.

“If he won’t tell us, and we can’t get a hold of Deaton, I guess we have to just deal with it. Work it in shifts,” the Sheriff said. Stiles stood up on Derek’s lap, reaching out for his dad, pizza sauce all over his face.

“I can stay alone,” he said. The Sheriff laughed a little. “I’m big enough!”

“Not gonna happen, little man,” the Sheriff said holding his son close. Part of him missed this, but then he also remembered what a little terror Stiles was. He was not envious of the pack’s coming week.

“I’m tired,” he said.

“Well, it is past your bedtime,” the Sheriff said, rubbing Stiles’s back. “Do you want to come home with me tonight, or stay with Derek?”

“You stay here, honey,” Stiles mumbled into his dad’s shoulder, slowly losing grip on the pizza. The Sheriff chuckled a little.

“I can’t,” he said. “You can come home with me, or you stay here. It’s your choice.” Stiles squeezed his dad a little and then reached back for Derek. The Sheriff handed Stiles back. “I’ll see if I can’t find some of his old clothes in the attic and drop them off in the morning,” the Sheriff said. “Call if you need me.” The Sheriff left and the pack started working out a schedule to watch Stiles, while Stiles fell asleep in Derek’s arms after eating a few more bites of pizza. Once that was done, Derek ate a few slices of pizza, and then he went up to bed, carrying tiny Stiles. He slid Stiles into the bed watching him sleep, thumb in his mouth. Sighing, Derek tried to figure out what he wanted to wear. It was summer, and normally he and Stiles just wore boxers, but that felt wrong. He pulled out some basketball shorts and a tank top, changing quickly. He curled in around Stiles, pulling him close, falling asleep almost instantly.

**Monday**

Derek was being smothered. Kate was suffocating him, and he couldn’t breathe. He tried to remind himself Kate was dead. Peter had killed her, slit her throat, but he could feel her weight on his chest, her long arm sinking into his neck. “One by one,” she whispered in his ear, “you and your little pack… will drop. Like. Flies.” Shuddering, he clawed and hissed and growled and then a child was yelling at him to wake up, shaking his shoulder.

“Derek!” Tiny Stiles shouted. “You’re having a nightmare. Wake up, Derek!” Derek gasped sitting up and pulling Stiles off his chest. “Are you ok?” Stiles asked, sitting on Derek’s leg and petting his cheek. Derek was drenched with sweat, and he knew it wasn’t the heat.

“Yeah,” Derek said cradling Stiles in the crook of his arm. “I-I didn’t hurt you, did I?”

“No,” Stiles said yawning and shoving his face in Derek’s side. Derek rubbed his back, trying to relax, but all he could see was Kate. Stiles snuffled into his side, and Derek started focusing on Stiles’s breathing, trying to ground himself in the early morning light. After a few minutes, Derek drifted into a light slumber.

***

Derek woke up again a few hours later to the sound of a crash down stairs. Derek sat up, instantly aware that Stiles wasn’t in bed. He flew out of bed and jumped down the stairs to find Stiles in the kitchen standing on a chair obviously trying to make cereal. The crash had been Stiles dropping a bowl. Cereal and milk had splattered all over the floor, and Stiles was slumped down in the chair, not moving.

“You ok?” Derek asked getting the broom to start sweeping.

“I’m sorry,” Stiles muttered, near tears. Derek sighed, rubbed Stiles’s head, and kept sweeping.

“It’s ok,” Derek said. “We don’t have to tell anyone.” But of course, that is when Scott, Allison, and Isaac came in to make breakfast. Stiles lost it. Scott picked him up.

“It’s ok, Stiles,” Scott murmured. “Did you hurt yourself?” Stiles shook his head, rubbing his face in Scott’s shirt. “Then why are you crying?”

“I used to be able to do this…” Stiles hiccoughed. “I-I remember, but… it’s hard to focus, and these puny little arms…” Scott rubbed his back.

“Well, just think of it as you get your best friends to be your slaves for a week,” Scott said. “It will be great!” The others glared at him a little.

“What if I have to be like this forever?” Stiles asked.

“You won’t,” Derek reassured him. “Deaton will fix you.” There was a knock on the front door, and the Sheriff came in with an arm full of Stiles’s old clothing. Stiles squirmed out of Scott’s arms and ran for his Dad. The Sheriff dropped the clothes and caught Stiles in a big hug.

“Jeeze, I missed this…” He said.

“Come eat your cereal,” Derek called as Erica and Boyd came down the stairs. They all went in the kitchen and ate some breakfast, including the Sheriff who munched on some toast someone made for him. By the time Stiles was done, everyone was gone except Derek who had a later class. “Finish your cereal so you can take a bath and get ready for the day.”

“Yay bath!” Stiles said spilling his remaining cereal. Derek sighed, wiped up the mess, and scooped up Stiles.

“You’re done,” he said. After grabbing the clothes, Derek took Stiles up stairs for a bath, where Stiles proceeded to splash water everywhere.

“Stiles! Stop that!”

“ _Stiles! Stop that_ ,” Stiles mocked, splashing more water at Derek.

“I mean it!”

“You’re not the alpha anymore, Scott is!” Stiles shouted. Derek sighed.

“This is going to be a long week…” Eventually Derek got Stiles out of the tub and they went in their room to dry off and get Stiles dressed. The clothes that the Sheriff had brought over fit pretty well, but getting Stiles in them proved to be a struggle. Stiles decided it would be more fun to wear his underwear on his head than on his bottom and ran around the hall for a good twenty minutes before he got tired and put them on right. Once Stiles was dressed, Derek pulled on his own clothes as quickly as he could before Stiles could get away. He, of course, wasn’t fast enough, but that was ok because he could hear Stiles giggling in the closet. “Hide and seek is it?” Derek asked stalking towards the closet. Stiles shrieked as Derek pulled the door open, yelling boo, and catching Stiles as he tried to flee. “We should go to the store and get you some crayons and stuff.”

“Yay! And a toy!”

“No,” Derek said putting Stiles down to pull on his boots.

“Yes,” Stiles screeched and rushed down the stairs. Derek grabbed his keys and wallet as he chased after Stiles. Standing outside the car, Derek wasn’t sure on the car seat laws, so he made Stiles sit in the back passenger side, so he could at least sort of see if Stiles was getting into something. He drove them to Target, made Stiles hold his hand in the parking lot, and sit in the little kid seat, much to Stiles’s dismay. “I can be good,” he said, looking up at Derek with those big, light brown eyes.

“No,” Derek said pushing the cart into the store. Stiles flopped over. They went to the coloring book section. “Which one?” Derek asked.

“That one!” Stiles said pointing.

“This one?” Derek pointed at one. Stiles shook his head, no. “This one?” Stiles shook his head again. “I’m not letting you down, Stiles.” Stiles crossed his arms over his chest. “Fine, I’ll pick.” Derek grabbed a Disney one, one with animals, and one about space. He then found some Crayola crayons and started walking toward the register.

“Please, Derek! Just one toy!” Derek sighed.

“Alright, but just one…” Derek said turning the cart. They wandered through the aisle for a bit until Stiles found a giant bucket of Legos. “I feel like I’m seriously going to regret this,” Derek said putting the bucket in the cart. Stiles giggled. “If I step on one Lego, I will take them all away.”

“I promise I won’t leave them out,” Stiles said reaching up and pulling Derek’s face down, rubbing his stubble. They went to the check out. The cashier smiled at Derek as he put the items on the conveyor belt.

“Find everything you need?” She asked.

“Yeah, thanks,” Derek said taking away the gum Stiles was trying to throw on the belt. “No, Stiles.” The girl giggled.

“Is he your son?” The girl asked.

“No!” Derek said, panicked.

“Derek’s my friend… My best friend.” The woman smiled at them.

“That’ll be $32.47,” she said. Derek pulled out his card and ran it through the machine. 

“Derek, I want gum,” Stiles whined. Derek ignored him. The lady gave Derek his receipt. “Derek! I want gum!” Stiles shrieked.

“Stiles!” Derek said. “I understand your five, but you need to understand… No.” Stiles glared at Derek.

“You smell like butt!” Stiles said.

“That’s nice,” Derek said putting their purchases in the basket. “Have a nice day.” Derek smiled at the woman.

“I don’t like you anymore… You can’t be my boyfriend!” Derek nodded and rushed out of the store. Once they got home, Stiles flopped on his stomach and started coloring. Derek went into the kitchen to try and figure out what to do for lunch. Stiles came in the kitchen after a minute.

“Derek, do you want to come color with me?”

“I thought you said I couldn’t be your boyfriend anymore…”

“I’m sorry,” Stiles said and wrapped his arms around Derek’s leg. “Please?” Derek rubbed Stiles’s hair.

“Ok,” he said as Stiles took his hand and they went in the living room. Scott, Allison, and Isaac came in a while later, laughing about something that happened in class.

“Oh my gawd!” Isaac said. “You guys are so cute.” Derek growled a little. Allison knelt next to them.

“Can I join you?” She asked. Stiles glared at her.

“No,” he said.

“Stiles…” Derek said warningly.

“Here,” Stiles said handing her a white crayon. Derek got up. “Where are you going?”

“I have to find you some lunch and then I have to go to class. After lunch, you should take a nap.” Stiles hissed and Scott picked him up.

“I need a nap, too,” Scott said putting him on his shoulders. Stiles clutched tightly to his hair, smiling. They went in the kitchen.

“We have mac’n’cheese or hot dogs. Which would you like?” Derek asked.

“Peanut butter and jelly!”

“That wasn’t an option,” Derek said.

“Chunky peanut butter!”

“Hot dogs or mac’n’cheese. Those are the options,” Derek said.

“Is there ketchup?” Stiles asked. Derek nodded. “Mac’n’cheese!”

“What?” Derek asked.

“I want mac’n’cheese with ketchup!” Stiles cried out.

“I remember that,” Scott said. “Gawd we were disgusting.” Stiles pulled Scott’s hair.

“Your face is gross!”

“Sometimes,” Isaac agreed. Derek pulled out the mac’n’cheese. He grabbed a pot and started lunch while the others entertained Stiles for a while. Derek _really_ hoped that Deaton could help them. He didn’t know what he would do if Stiles was stuck like this. And he wished Stiles would tell them what had happened. When the macaroni was done, Derek put some on a small plate and went to grab Stiles who was playing hide-and-seek with the others.

“Lunch is ready, Stiles,” Derek said. Stiles burst out of the couch.

“I want extra ketchup!” He said running to the kitchen. He sat in Derek’s lap trying to feed him macaroni with ketchup, but Derek just shook his head, choosing instead to eat some leftover pizza. “Your pizza needs ketchup!” Stiles said trying to take Derek’s pizza.

“No, Stiles, I don’t want ketchup. Thank you.”

“But it’s better!” Stiles whined, his hand sliding through the ketchup and macaroni on his plate. Derek grabbed both of his hands and held them up, looking to Scott for help. Scott grabbed a paper towel, wetted it, and started wiping Stiles’s hands.

“You full?” He asked. Stiles nodded, hands still up to be picked up. Scott swooped him up and they went in the living room for nap time. Nap time turned out to be a disaster. Derek left while Stiles was distracted, but as soon as Scott started to try and put Stiles down for a nap, and Stiles realized Derek was gone, he started throwing a fit and refused to lay down with Scott.

“What’s wrong?” Scott asked. “He’ll be back in a few hours…”

“You smell like dog doo!” Stiles shouted.

“That’s not very nice…” Allison said.

“I wasn’t talking to you, lizard-breath!”

“Stiles!” Scott scolded. “What’s gotten into you? We should lay down…”

“I can’t,” Stiles said shoving himself under the couch. Scott laid down on his stomach and looked at Stiles.

“Why not?”

“He’s my snuggle buddy,” Stiles whined, sniffling. “I can’t sleep without him…” Scott chuckled a little.

“It’s ok, bud,” he said. “We can watch _Lilo & Stitch_ or something…” Stiles sniffled again and let himself get pulled out from under the couch. Scott pulled him close while Allison put on the movie. Scott and Stiles curled up on the couch, with Allison next to them. Stiles kicked idly at her. Sighing, Allison got up and went to go work on some homework, leaving the boys alone. Stiles fought sleep through the whole movie even though Scott did everything to get him to go down including rubbing his back and stroking his hair, but nothing. Eventually Allison came back in to check on them.

“Still not going down?” She asked. Scott shook his head. The front door opened and Derek came in.

“Yay!” Stiles said getting up, stepping all over Scott, and jumping over the back of the couch and into Derek’s arms. “Nap time,” he said resting his head on Derek’s shoulder and sticking his thumb in his mouth. He was asleep before Derek could put his bag down.

“He said you were his ‘snuggle buddy’,” Scott whispered softly. Derek smiled, and set his bag behind the couch and walked up to his and Stiles’s room. He grabbed the book he was reading for his literature course before stretching out on the bed, letting Stiles sleep. Derek fell asleep a few chapters in. He woke up to Stiles playing with his stubble.

“What are you doing?” Derek asked.

“It’s like a small animal,” Stiles said. “I like it. And your eyebrows… Like caterpillars…” Stiles ran his stubby and some what sticky fingers over Derek’s eyebrows.

“You are such a little...weirdo!” Derek said tickling Stiles who shrieked with laughter. “Caterpillars and small animals on my face? Really?” Stiles giggled. There was a knock on the door, and Isaac came in.

“Sorry to interrupt, but I was wondering if you would-” Stiles shrieked with laughter. Isaac smirked.

“Hang on a sec, Stiles. What’s that?” Derek asked and Stiles giggled quietly and tried to tickle Derek.

“Can you proofread my essay?” Isaac asked holding out some pages.

“Sure, if you take squirt here and keep him distracted…” Derek said taking the papers. “Hide and seek, and Isaac is it first. Go!” Stiles started counting as Isaac ran off. Derek listened to their game while reading through the pages. It was a paper on burning witches. When Derek was done he got up and went to find Isaac. Stiles stood in the hall, unsure of which way to go. “Need some help?” Derek asked Stiles. Stiles nodded, and Derek scooped him up. A cursory whiff told Derek Isaac was in the bathtub. They stalked quietly to the bathroom. As Derek pulled open the curtain, Stiles threw himself at Isaac. Both of them shrieked as Isaac grabbed Stiles. They all laughed.

“Looks good,” Derek said holding out the paper. “Just make the changes I recommended…”

“Thanks, Derek,” Isaac said, taking the paper.

“Piggy back ride!” Stiles demanded, but Isaac shook his head.

“I’ve gotta finish my paper!” Stiles pouted.

“Come on, big guy,” Derek said turning so Isaac could put the child on his back. Stiles shrieked happily as Derek rushed from the bathroom, and down the stairs. In the kitchen, Allison was cooking pork chops on the stove while Scott peeled potatoes.

“I wanna help!” Stiles slid down Derek’s back and shoved a chair next to Scott. Scott pulled out a potato peeler and handed it to Stiles. The little boy picked up a potato and started peeling it, sticking his tongue out in concentration. Derek went in the living room to try and read some while Stiles was distracted.

“Stiles, don’t fling the potato skins like that,” Scott said. Stiles giggled.

“But it’s fun! I bet I can get it in Allison’s hair!”

“I swear if you do, I’ll paddle your little behind with this spatula!” Allison shouted.

“Derek!” Stiles shrieked dropping the potato and peeler. He came running in the living room and jumped into Derek’s lap. “Read to me!”

“I thought you wanted to help in the kitchen.”

“Allison is mean,” Stiles said, perching himself on Derek’s leg, and playing with his beard again.

“I think you were the one being mean…” Stiles’s hand fell. “You should go in there, apologize, and finish helping Scott. I need to read this for tomorrow.” Stiles pouted a little.

He sighed. “O-kay!” He plodded into the kitchen, staring at the floor. Derek listened as Stiles tugged softly on Allison’s shirt.

“I’m sorry I was mean,” he said.

“It’s ok,” Allison said. “I’m sorry I threatened to spank you.” Stiles must have nodded because he could hear the soft sound of potatoes being peeled.

The rest of the evening went by smoothly. Stiles went to bed without a fuss, and Derek got through his reading.

**Tuesday**

The next morning was a disaster. It was Allison’s scheduled morning as the rest of them had morning classes. Derek was gone before Stiles even woke up. When he came down the stairs and found Allison eating Cheerios alone, he hissed a little.

“Look, Stiles. If we can get through this morning in a civilized manner, I’ll take you to Dairy Queen for lunch, how does that sound?” Stiles considered this for a moment.

“Alright,” he said getting up on a chair. Allison poured him a bowl of cereal. The promise of Dairy Queen got them through breakfast, bathtime, and a little bit of coloring, but then Stiles decided he wanted to go to the park. Allison would have been happy to take him, but it was pissing rain.

“We are not going to the park, Stiles,” Allison said picking up the remote and trying to find him something to watch.

“You stink!” He yelled and started ripping up the picture Allison had been working on.

“I guess you really _don’t_ want Dairy Queen,” she said settling on Spongebob. Stiles looked up in horror.

“No! I’m sorry! We can fix it!” He dropped the coloring book and ran up to his room and came back with some tape. “I’m sorry, please, I wanna go,” he said peeling tape off the reel and trying to fix the page. “I’ll be good!” Allison sighed a little, kneeling next to him.

“Stiles, don’t waste the tape, we can-” Stiles burst into tears.

“I _hate_ you,” he screamed, slapping her. Allison was too stunned to say anything as he got up and ran to his room, slamming the door. Allison took a deep breath and let it out slowly. She picked up the crayons, coloring book, and put them away. She changed the channel to some cooking show and curled up on the couch. She figured Stiles would come down when he’d cooled off. She must have dozed off because when she woke up Stiles was standing over her with a pair of scissors in his hand.

“What were you thinking?” Scott yelled grabbing Stiles’s hand and taking the scissors from him. Allison sat up and started running her fingers through her hair, her heart beating fast. Derek reached over the couch and picked up Stiles. He could feel his little heart beating so fast.

“She said we could go to Dairy Queen for lunch if I was good. I said I was sorry. She’s mean. She doesn’t like me!” Stiles said, sticking his thumb in his mouth, and shoving his face in Derek’s side.

“You can’t bribe children, Allison,” Derek said just as Scott yelled at Stiles, “What were you thinking? You could have seriously hurt her!” Scott and Derek glared at each other.

“Ok, guys, let’s take a step back,” Isaac said. Derek growled a little. “Yes, Derek, Stiles is a child, but that doesn’t mean he can threaten to cut Allison’s hair because he shouldn’t play with scissors.” This last part was directed at Stiles who had peeked out for a second, but shoved his face back into Derek’s side, eyes closed tight. “Dairy Queen is out of the question. He gets lunch and a nap and this afternoon no-”

“Park,” Allison interrupted as she leaned into Scott. Stiles hissed at her. “I don’t understand what I did to you!” She yelled. Stiles climbed out of Derek’s arms and into Scott’s, trying to kick at Allison while making it look like an accident.

He hissed again. “Mine,” he said. Derek looked from Stiles, to Scott, to Allison, and back and started laughing.

“I’m glad you find this all very amusing,” Scott growled.

“No, no, don’t you see? He’s just being territorial.” Scott looked down at Stiles who patted his cheek.

“I don’t understand,” Scott said. “He’s-”

“Scott, I’m gonna go out on a limb, but when you were kids, was Stiles really possessive of you?” Isaac asked. Scott thought for a moment, and just shook his head.

“Stiles and I will be right back,” Scott said. He carried Stiles up to his and Allison’s room. Stiles seemed to perk up a little as Scott sat down on his bed.

“Stiles,” Scott said. “We’re best friends right?”

“Yes, the best friends of all time!” Stiles said flailing a little. “Better than Starsky and Hutch, Joey and Chandler-”

“Ok, and Derek is your best friend?” Stiles nodded.

“And my boyfriend!” He said jumping a little in Scott’s arms. “He’s the best!”

“Should I be jealous of Derek for spending time with you?” Stiles squinted a little at Scott.

“That’s silly,” he said. Scott smiled a little. “Why would you do that?”

“I don’t know, maybe because you think I won’t have time for both of you?” Stiles shrugged, shaking his head.

“I don’t understand…” He started playing with Scott’s collar.

“Stiles,” Scott said taking his hands. “Look at me.” Stiles looked at him. “If we can have other friends, then why are you jealous of Allison?”

“I’m not, she just smells like turd,” Stiles said.

“Stiles, she does not smell like a turd. And she’s very important to me. And if you cared about me, you would be nicer to me. She’s my Derek.” Stiles bit his lip.

“She’s your Derek?”

“Yeah,” Scott said. “You wouldn’t like it if I was mean to Derek, would you?” Stiles shook his head, his small light brown eyes filling with tears.

“Why would you do that?”

“Why are you being so mean to Allison? She likes you a lot, and you’re… Oh Stiles,” Scott said wiping a tear from his cheek. “I promise I won’t be mean to Derek.”

“I’m sorry I’ve been mean to Allison! I can’t believe I was-- Your Derek--” He jumped off of Scott’s lap and ran down the stairs to find Allison who was in the kitchen chopping celery for tuna. “Allison! Allison!” He tugged on her skirt.

“Yes, Stiles?” She said putting down her knife.

“I’m sorry,” Stiles said clinging to her leg. “I’m really sorry…” Allison picked him up.

“Oh, Stiles,” Allison said.

“I’m sorry I was mean… You’re his Derek and--and--and--” He sobbed into her shoulder. Derek came in from the living room. He obviously wanted to take Stiles to comfort him but thought better of it. It had been terrifying coming in and finding Stiles with the kitchen sheers. The anger from that little boy... He needed to get over whatever this was otherwise Derek was going to have take Stiles and go find Deaton. Eventually Stiles stopped crying, and rested his head on her shoulder, sucking his thumb. When she tried to put him down he whined and wouldn’t let her.

“Stiles, Allison has to finish lunch,” Derek said getting up and holding him close.

“But I want her to know I’m sorry,” Stiles said.

“I know you’re sorry,” Allison said, rubbing Stiles’s back.

“She’s Scott’s you,” Stiles said to Derek, rubbing Derek’s cheek.

“I know,” Derek said, rubbing his back. Stiles ended up falling asleep before lunch was ready. Allison made Derek a sandwich and they sat at the table eating. “Are you ok?” Derek asked.

“Yeah,” Allison said taking a bite of her sandwich. “It was just weird… Stiles and I always got along well and then… Hissing?”

“I am so glad that Deaton gets home Saturday,” Derek said. “I had hoped the Sheriff would be more helpful…”

“I know but now he’s not taking _any_ of our calls…” Allison said.

“Could you imagine _your dad_ if you became a five year old again?” Allison shuddered.

“Yeah, ok. He is forgiven.” She ate another bite of sandwich and then went to get the chips. Stiles woke up.

“I’m hungry.” Derek handed Stiles half of his sandwich. Stiles took a bite and ended up spilling most of the tuna all over Derek’s leg. Derek sighed as Allison got the paper towels.

After lunch, it was Scott’s turn to hang out with Stiles again. He had a short nap before Derek went to class, and since Stiles had apologized to Allison, Scott decided they could go to the park since it had stopped raining. Scott grabbed a couple of cups so they could build sandcastles. As soon as they got to the park, Stiles jumped into the biggest puddle he could find, and then every puddle after that. He was soaked, but Scott didn’t have it in him to make him go home even though it was chilly. They built sandcastles and played hide and seek. They had a _good_ afternoon. It was starting to get cloudy again when Lydia came for them.

“Lydia!” Stiles screamed, sniffled, and ran towards her, giving away his hiding spot. He crashed through one of his sandcastles as he jumped into her arms.

“Stiles, you’re soaked!” She exclaimed, holding him close.

“I jumped in ALL the puddles!” He screamed, shivering a little.

“O-kay,” she said. “Time to go home…” Stiles coughed a little. “Yeah. Cover your mouth, dear.” When they got home, Derek was just finishing up some homework. “Derek, are Stiles’s clean clothes in your room?”

“Yeah, does he need to be changed?”

“I can do it…” She said heading up the stairs, brushing her long red hair out of her eyes. “Come on, Stiles. We should get you a bath first.”

“No splashing!” Derek called after them. In the bathroom, Lydia helped Stiles out of his clothes and into the warm tub. Stiles splashed gently in the tub, feeling worn out from the park. He kept sniffling and coughing. Stiles let Lydia wash his hair but insisted on washing the rest of himself. When he was all clean, he let Lydia take him to his room and put him in some pyjamas. They walked down the stairs hand in hand. Stiles curled up on the couch with Allison while Scott and Isaac made dinner.

“You are an idiot, Scott McCall!” Lydia said entering the kitchen. Scott looked up surprised from the chicken he was frying.

“What did I do?”

“Letting a little boy jump in all the puddles! Now he’s sniffling and coughing! If he gets sick-”

“What was I supposed to do? Tell him, no he can’t jump in the puddles?”

“Yes, Scott! You’re the grown up!” Lydia said.

“He’s my best friend!” Scott retorted. “I-”

“He is five years old! He-” Scott’s fingers slipped into the chicken grease. “Fuck!” He yelled pulling them out and licking them, feeling them begin to heal already.

“Scott said a bad word!” Stiles called from the living room.

“We know, buddy,” Isaac called as he took Scott’s hand out of his mouth and shoved it under the water even though his fingers were already healing. Derek got up and took over chicken duties, his face contorted into serious Sourwolf lines; lines that hadn’t been seen in years.

“What do I know about kids?” Scott asked as Allison came in carrying Stiles.

“It’s ok, Scott,” Derek said slamming a thigh into the pan. “You’re off Stiles babysitting duties.”

“What?!” Both Stiles and Scott yelled at the same time.

“You can’t do that!” Stiles started crying, shoving his thumb in his mouth and reaching for Scott with his free arm.

“You need me!” Scott said. Derek shook his head.

“We’ll-we’ll figure it out. You obviously cannot-”

“I fu-mess up one time…”

“It’s not your fault,” Derek said. “I should have just taken this week off with Stiles, that’s all there is to it.”

“You don’t know the first thing about-” Allison put in.

“I know more than Scott, and he actually takes a nap for me…” Derek said.

“Yeah, ‘cause he’s your-” Scott started but Isaac slammed a can of peas on the counter.

“Ok, we’re not doing this. Derek has final say over little Stiles-” Isaac started.

“Just because they are boyfriends…” Scott muttered under his breath.

“Stop!” Isaac said. “We are not fighting like this in front of-” He looked pointedly at Stiles who was crying softly and snotting steadily on Allison’s shoulder. “Derek being his boyfriend does not invalidate your relationship. Derek just-Derek _can_ say no.” Scott growled a little and Stiles let out a giant sigh.

“Is the chicken ready yet?” Stiles asked in a small voice.

“Almost,” Derek said rubbing his head. Erica and Boyd came in a few minutes later.

“He ok?” Erica asked rubbing Stiles’s back.

“I’m fine,” Stiles said and sneezed, smearing snot all over Allison’s shoulder. “Sorry.” He said. Lydia grabbed a paper towel and wiped up Stiles and Allison’s shoulder. Derek finished up the chicken and then took Stiles.

“Want some soup?” He asked. Stiles shook his head.

“Chicken, please,” he said. Derek sighed as he sat down. They ate quietly, Derek and Scott glaring at each other. Stiles sneezed and sniffled all through dinner. There was no doubt in anyone’s mind that Stiles was getting sick. After dinner, Derek took his homework and Stiles to bed. Stiles was content to lay in Derek’s arms watching cartoons on Derek’s Kindle while Derek read some more. Stiles drifted off at about eight. Derek slept lightly, waking every so often to check on Stiles. He had no idea as to what to do if Stiles developed a fever, except maybe call Melissa.

 _Melissa!_ Derek thought to himself at about four in the morning. _Maybe be Melissa could make Stiles talk._

**Wednesday**

Melissa showed up just as Derek was finishing up the breakfast dishes. With a nose so stuffed he could only breathe out his mouth, Stiles was stretched out on his stomach on the couch. She waved at Derek and sat next to Stiles.

“Mom!” Stiles shrieked sitting up and throwing his arms around her.

“Hey, baby, how are you?” Stiles tried to breath through his nose with a sickening slurp. “That good, huh?”

“Everyone says it’s Scott’s fault ‘cause we went to the park, but I’ve been to the park lotsa times and never got sick,” Stiles said flopping into her lap and playing with her hair.

“Yeah, but I’m pretty sure no one ever let you play out in the cold soaked either,” she said as she felt his forehead, searching for a fever. “I’ll be right back, ok, baby?” Stiles nodded and flopped back on the couch. Melissa went into the kitchen and placed a small bottle of OTC children’s decongestant.

“It’s just a cold, but you need him to take this every four hours, and he has to stay inside, preferably laying down.”

“Thanks,” Derek said, drying his hands on a dish towel. “Before you go, I was wondering if you could get him to talk about what he did to make him five…?”

“I can try,” Melissa said. “But I have to be honest, as a kid only Claudia could really get him to open up.” She went into the living room and sat down with Stiles. Stiles curled up next to her, holding onto her shirt. “Stiles, sweety, wanna tell me how you got small?” Stiles shook his head sleepily.

“It’s a secret.”

“Oh?”

“Derek will be mad,” Stiles said, rubbing his eyes with his free hand.

“I-” Derek started but Melissa held up a hand.

“He won’t,” Melissa said rubbing Stiles’s back. “He just wants you to get back to your age, because you’re safer like that.”

“He will be. It’s a secret from him. I’m not telling.” Melissa sat there for a minute.

“But your mom thinks it’s important.”

“My mom’s dead. She doesn’t think any more,” Stiles said, got up, and wandered over to Derek. Derek picked him up. “She doesn’t feel anything any more,” Stiles whispered into Derek’s neck. Derek felt his heart crack a little. He patted Stiles’s back.

“We don’t know that,” Derek said. “For all we know, your mom and my mom are best friends in heaven.”

“Don’t be stupid,” Stiles said. “They’re worm food.” He fell asleep in Derek’s arms. Melissa looked over at Derek.

“I’m so sorry,” she said. Derek shook his head, holding Stiles closer. “Call if he develops a fever.” She got up and left. Laying down on the couch, Derek held Stiles close, snuffling his hair.

It was a long, boring day. Stiles slept on and off, and took his medicine without complaint, although he did refuse to let Derek out of his sight for more than a few minutes.

By that evening, he was feeling well enough to run screaming around the house, although he had to stop to cough every now and then, but he crashed early.

**Thursday**

Scott woke up to Stiles jumping on him and screaming in his ear. “Scott! Wake up!”

“Hi, buddy,” Scott mumbled and rolled on his side to find, Allison staring wide eyed at him, pulled the sheets tight around her chest. They were both naked.

“Derek said you can get me breakfast while he showers. I want scram eggs and ketchups!” Stiles said sitting on his chest.

“Ok, go on and go down to the kitchen. I’ll be right there.” Stiles jumped off the bed and ran down the stairs hollering. Scott kissed Allison’s cheek. “Just a few more days,” he said getting up and pulling on some sweats. When he got down stairs, Stiles had already pulled the ketchup out and was going for the eggs. Taking them from him, Scott also grabbed the butter. He cooked up the eggs quickly and set them in front of Stiles.

“Are you going to hang out with me today?” Stiles asked reaching for the ketchup. Scott poured him some.

“Maybe for lunch.”

“I want McDonald’s! I wanna go to the playplace!”

“We’ll see,” Scott said. Derek came down the stairs wearing jeans and pulling on a shirt. “Is that Stiles’s?” Scott asked. Stiles looked up at Derek. His shirt was tighter than normal. Derek sighed and pulled it off.

“Won’t you please tell us what made you small so we can fix it?” Derek asked. “You are the laundry sorter, and I just…” Stiles forked up some eggs and a lot of ketchup and held them to Derek’s mouth.

“Eggs will make you feel better,” he said smearing the ketchup all over Derek’s face.

“I feel like, on some level, I deserve that,” Derek said wiping his face with a napkin.

“Derek, can you and Scott take me to McDonald’s for lunch?” Derek looked at Scott. They hadn’t spoken since the dinner. Allison came wandering down the stairs in a cute little sun dress, yawning.

“Yeah,” Derek said, nodding. Scott nodded back. It was as close to an apology as they were going to get. The morning went by quickly. Derek gave Stiles a bath, then Stiles colored while Derek worked on some homework. Everyone had class or work except for Scott and Derek, so it was quiet. Scott spent most of the morning in his room doing homework. At noon Scott put down his homework and wandered down to the living room.

“You ready, Scotty?” Stiles jumped into Scott’s arms. “Piggyback?” Scott flipped Stiles around. Derek collected his keys and wallet. Stiles was very displeased to find the booster seat in the Camaro until Scott offered to sit in back with him. Derek felt pretty ridiculous but Stiles’s happy babbling helped him to relax a little.

They got Stiles a chicken nuggets kids meal, Scott got a Big Mac, and Derek just ordered some fries. He really hated McDonald’s burgers. Once Stiles had eaten most of his meal, Scott helped him take off his shoes so he could go play. Derek and Scott sat in silence for a few minutes.

“I cannot wait until he’s big again,” Derek said watching Stiles climb through the tubes.

“We haven’t fought like that in a while, have we?” Derek shook his head, sighing.

Above them Stiles was shrieking something about passing the test.

“I’m sorry, I just… I-he…” Stiles shrieked as he slid down the slide and came running up to them.

“Hi!” He jumped into Derek’s arms, kissing his cheek wetly. “I’m gonna go play some more!” He ran off and climbed back up a tube.

“I get it,” Scott said. “If it was Allison, I’d probably drag her off to the woods somewhere.” They laughed a little. And then Stiles’s voice drifted down to them.

“Bite into me harder, sink your teeth-”

“Stiles!” Both Derek and Scott called.

“Yeah?” He called.

“Come down here, please!” Scott called. He scrambled down to them.

“Yeah?” He said.

“Are you singing ‘Flesh’?” Derek asked. Stiles nodded.

“I like that song,” he said fiddling with a leftover fry.

“Yeah, but maybe you shouldn’t sing it here…” Derek said.

“What should I sing?”

“‘Call Me Maybe!’” Scott said. Stiles jumped up and down and ran off.

“Hey I just met you!” Stiles screamed. Derek and Scott laughed a little. By three o’clock that afternoon, when Stiles was _still_ singing it, they were both feeling pretty ready to kill Carly fucking Rae Jepsen.

**Friday**

The next morning, Derek woke up alone to a quiet house. He had no interest in getting up to find what Scott and Stiles were getting into now, but eventually his stomach rumbled enough that he couldn’t ignore it any more. He got up and went to the kitchen to make coffee only to find a plate with a doughnut and some coffee from his favorite coffee shop on the table. He sat down and began eating, wondering where they had gotten off to… He got up and went to look outside to see if Scott and Stiles weren’t playing in the front yard only to realize his car was gone. He went upstairs and grabbed his phone. Nothing. He went back downstairs and sat at the kitchen table, trying to figure out if he was mad or not.

Almost half an hour later, Scott and Stiles came home with a bunch of groceries. Scott’s smile faltered a little when he saw Derek’s face.

“You should have at least _texted_ me that you borrowed my car,” Derek growled. Stiles panted as he held up some laundry soap.

“Here Derry, it’s heavy,” Stiles said trying to hold it over his head. Derek took it and set it on the table. Stiles rushed off to get more groceries.

“Sorry, we just wanted you to sleep in,” Scott explained. “Plus I couldn’t figure out how to get the booster seat out…” Derek rolled his eyes. Outside, Stiles screamed. Both Scott and Derek bolted out the door, banging into the walls with their shoulders, denting the wood. Stiles looked up from where he lay covered in eggs and pasta sauce. The two wolves got to Stiles at the same time, snarling and flashing their eyes at each other as they touched the little boy. Derek’s claws came out despite himself and Scott’s eyes glowed red as he pulled himself up as big as he could. “Don’t,” he yelled. Derek balled his fist, and Stiles screamed louder as Isaac and Boyd came outside, pulling Derek and Scott apart. Allison came out wearing a loose T-shirt and Scott’s boxers, glaring at the wolves as she scooped up wailing Stiles.

“I want my mommy,” he hiccoughed as Derek and Scott struggled against the betas.

“Stop it! Both of you!” Allison exclaimed as she carried Stiles into the house. Derek closed his eyes and tried to calm down. He needed to get in to Stiles.

“I’m good, I’m good…” Derek said shrugging away from Isaac. “I’m good…” He took another deep breath and tried to not look at Scott as he went into the house. Stiles was sitting on the counter, Allison’s phone in his hand as he tried to talk to his dad, but he was crying too hard while Allison tried to wipe pasta sauce off of him to see how hurt he was. Derek sat down at the kitchen table rubbing his face as Scott came in and threw the groceries he was carrying on the floor. Stiles flinched a little.

“See you soon…” Stiles sniffled and handed the phone back to Allison. “My daddy said he would come in about fifteen minutes.” Allison smiled a little as she wiped more sauce off of him. His knees and elbows were scraped, but that looked like the worst of it.

By the time the Sheriff showed up, Allison had cleaned up Stiles who was running around the house in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle underpants and socks. Derek was sitting at the kitchen table drinking more coffee while Scott took a shower.

“Everything ok here?” The Sheriff asked picking up Stiles who clung to him a little hard despite seeming quite happy.

“Oh, just Scott and Derek got in a little tussle outside trying to prove whose di-” Isaac started.

“Ah…” The Sheriff cupped the back of his son’s head. “How are you doing, big guy?” The Sheriff asked his son. Stiles mumbled something and they went into the living room. Scott came down a few minutes later and waved at the Sheriff as he walked into the kitchen and sat next to Derek.

“So…” He said. “We’re going to have to talk about this… It’s-- This isn’t just going to go away when Stiles gets big again, is it?”

“Probably not,” Derek responded. Scott took a deep breath and bit his lip.

“This’d probably be easier to talk about when Stiles is big, wouldn’t it?” Derek glared a little.

“It’s-- It’s not a human thing. For me.”

“Dude, I know! I know!!” Scott said. Derek raised his eyebrows a little. “I just mean… It’s not like we can just--” Derek sighed a little.

“It’s not like we’re Stiles…” Derek supplied. Scott nodded. Derek got up to get more coffee. “Want some?” Scott nodded and Derek got him some coffee. He handed the cup over and sat back down. Silence. In the living room Stiles told the Sheriff about how to make the best sandcastle. “You’re not still upset that Isaac said I should be in charge of Stiles, are you?” Derek finally asked when half his coffee was gone. Scott bit his lip a little. “Oh my-- Why can’t you just _let it go_?!”

“Just let it go? Need I remind you who the _Alpha_ is here?” Derek snarled a little, his eyes flashing blue and teeth showing, but he dropped his head, not wanting to start a fight when the Sheriff was so close. Derek took a deep breath and let it out slowly.

“He-- I-- If anything happened to him…”

“I feel the same way, dude!” Scott sputtered. Derek groaned a little.

“I know, but you gotta trust me to protect him…”

“Dude. I’ve been doing that so much longer--”

“This isn’t a contest!” Derek growled dragging his claws into the table.

“Ok. As the Alpha, I just have to-- When--”

“Yes, but I-- I love him…” Derek whispered. Scott blinked at him.

“You what?”

“I love him, but-- Jesus!” He covered his eyes with his hand. They hadn’t said that yet. The L-word. He would have been perfectly content if they _never_ said it, but that was just Derek. He felt it, and he was sure Stiles did too. What more did they need? He dropped his hands to the table, and let his breath out slowly. Scott’s face softened a little.

“Alright, it’s alright,” Scott murmured. “I get it…” He put a tentative hand on one of Derek’s and Derek didn’t flinch away. A few more minutes went by and Stiles came in holding his dad’s hand.

“You two done fighting?” Stiles asked. Scott and Derek laughed a little.

“Yeah… Yeah we are…” Derek said.

“Good, ‘cause you scared me…” Stiles declared and pulled himself into Scott’s lap. His poor little knees and and elbows and even a bit of his chin had been scraped raw. Derek watched Scott nuzzle into the little boy’s hair and Derek couldn’t wait until Stiles was full grown again. Eventually Scott had to go to class, the Sheriff to work, and that left Stiles and Derek alone. Derek helped Stiles into his clothes and then they spent the morning coloring. Erica, Lydia, and Allison came home in time to help oversee lunch while Derek showered and got dressed himself. After lunch, he and Stiles crashed on the couch, tired after the emotionally packed morning.

That night the pack all gathered for an impromptu movie night. No one said it, but they were all really shocked by Derek and Scott’s fighting. It had been _years_ since they had had that kind of outburst. They let Stiles pick the movies and he spent most of the night crawling over all of them, but ended up falling asleep nestled between Derek and Scott.

**Saturday**

Derek woke up the next morning with Stiles nestled under his arm. The wolf looked down at him and wondered what it would be like to have a child with Stiles when things got back to normal. Babies weren’t exactly something he’d ever wanted before, but that was mostly because he wasn’t sure he could take care of one. It had been a long week, and Derek had shirked most of his responsibilities, so logically he knew he shouldn’t. But maybe one day.

Someone knocked on the door.

“Come in,” Derek called softly and Scott opened the door.

“Chocolate chips or blueberries?” He asked.

“Chocolate chip!” Stiles murmured, rubbing his eyes with his tiny hands. Derek smirked a little.

“Alright, coming up,” Scott said turning but Stiles whined.

“Wanna go Scott…” He mumbled, arms out waiting to be picked up. Scott laughed again and picked up Stiles. After a good twenty minutes, Derek got up and went downstairs to check on the pancake progress, and was pleased to find a large stack waiting for him. The others sat around him, and it was good. Eventually, Scott dug his phone out from the couch cushions and tried Deaton’s cell and was surprised when he answered right away.

“Just landed,” Deaton said. “What’s happened now?”

“Well, it’s Stiles…” Scott said slowly. Deaton sighed.

“I’ll be there in about an hour…” He said and they hung up. Stiles colored with Allison for a few minutes before Isaac suggested they play hide and seek. When Deaton showed up, Stiles got shy, hiding behind Derek and Scott’s legs as they let the emissary in. They all stood in the living room.

“When did it happen?” Deaton asked paying no mind to Stiles who peaked at him from behind Derek’s hand.

“Sunday night,” Derek said. “He was alone, and when we got back…” He gestured towards Stiles with his hand. Deaton nodded.

“And he hasn’t aged at all?” Derek and Scott shook their heads. “Where’s the book, Stiles?” He asked. Scott and Derek wrinkled their eyebrows, but Stiles gasped and blushed.

“Book?” Derek asked.

“It was your mother’s,” Deaton said. “She was very powerful in many ways… There is only one book on this continent that could do that to Stiles without the effects starting to wear off.” Derek turned to stare at Stiles who blushed and gulped a little, biting his nail.

“Like I said… It was a secret ‘cause you’d be mad…” Stiles said. Derek turned and rushed up the stairs two at a time. He flopped to his stomach to search under his bed, the candles and rocks suddenly making sense. How could he have been so stupid. He found the book quickly and took it downstairs, glancing through the pages before handing it to Deaton. There were tiny pings going off in his chest each time he saw his mother’s notes. How could Stiles keep something like this from him?

“Thank you,” Deaton said, glancing through the book until he found what he was looking for. After a while Stiles and Deaton disappeared upstairs to reverse the spell, and Derek pulled on some sneakers to go for a run.

“I’m sure he didn’t--” Scott started but Derek just glared.

“Not right now,” he said twisting out of the other’s grip and taking off out the front door. He crossed the street and went to the park to run laps. About forty five minutes later, a lone grown up Stiles came over and sat under a tree, pretending to not be aware of Derek’s every move but choosing a spot Derek could see him well in. Derek ran three more laps before slowing down and landed on his knees next to Stiles.

“I’m sorry… I’m so-- I--” Stiles began as Derek crawled closer. Derek stank and was covered in sweat but that didn’t stop him from piling on top of Stiles, kissing him and running his hands through his hair.

“Oh, gawd I missed you,” Derek said pressing his forehead to Stiles. Stiles sniffled a little and choked back a sob.

“I missed you, too,” Stiles said kissing his temple and hugging him tight. “I’m sorry… I should have…”

“It’s ok, Stiles, it’s ok,” Derek whispered, running his fingers through Stiles’s hair for a few minutes before pulling back. “While I ran, all I kept thinking was if anyone was going to use those books, I would want it to be you. And now you’re back… And… I just-- I missed you. I-- I love you…”

“I know,” Stiles whispered. “I know… I love you, too…” He pulled Derek close again, hugging him. Eventually they got up and went home to figure out what this next discovery meant for the pack.

**Author's Note:**

> unbeta'd.
> 
> i actually started this back in may, but never got around to finishing it. i hope you like it. it was a lot of fun to write.
> 
> also, the song at the playplace was, of course, flesh by simon curtis. it is very much not a song a child should be singing.
> 
> come talk to me on [tumblr](http://www.bifics.tumblr.com)


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